KTZ Autumn/Winter 2015-2016

Although Kokon to Zai sounds very japanese, it couldn't be any more different. The Macedonian designer established the brand in 2003 and, before that, he established the Soho flagship store with Sasko Bezovski as a meeting point for fashion and music. It then expanded into a platform for creative projects, becoming what is now the internationally recognized brand, KTZ.

The AW15 men's collection displayed reoccurring themes from the dystopian novella, 'A Clockwork Orange'. It's always a surprise to see so much colour because KTZ tend to keep it fairly monochromatic (last seasons' colour was orange and orange only). Chairman Mao, along with several other leaders, opened the collection in the form of pixelated patchworks that appeared from bomber jackets to double breasted coats. Then slightly soft-core when the paint splattered prints came along with a hoodie that had fur-lined hoods and cuffs. But it wasn't until the mosaic print of the season when everyone became a little bit surprised, with joy; because to see colour at a KTZ show can mean two things: KTZ is merely building on their Rubix Cube inspiration (the invitation came in a rubix cube btw) or it's taking a new direction. Either way, we'll have to keep an eye out for future collections to know more.

There's something about KTZ that not everyone can understand. And if you look at images of people who wear top-to-bottom KTZ, I find it quite rich (in the sense that it's not boring and not 'just black and white'). Also that it takes a bit of only 'that person' can pull it off and has 'that element' to put the leather, the hats and the zips together. From a small concept store in Soho to now what I would call a tribe adorned everywhere from the streets of Tokyo to major rap artists like Rihanna and Wiz Khalifa (who was actually at the show to support the brand). If you google KTZ street style, you'll spot these groups of people who hangout in a gang as if they speak a certain language; a language not everyone can understand.